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Sunday, October 20, 2013

I'd been craving waffles in the craziest of ways lately, but I didn't have an iron and I didn't really want to get one since I hate having "unitaskers" in my kitchen. Finally I decided that I could get an iron, but only if I made waffles at least twice a week. So that's been happening. As an added bonus, it turns out that Ilana really likes waffles (hard to believe she eats solid foods now) so once she's on three meals a day, waffles will be her weekday breakfast since it only takes seven minutes from the moment you start mixing the batter until the first waffle or two is out of the iron. This variety of waffles happened because she doesn't like white pumpkin (she does like yellow pumpkin) and so I have a bunch of white pumpkin puree that needs to be used up (she'll eat her pumpkin if it's in waffles, though). The chocolate chips were added since Ross has been munching on them by the handful recently. Hope you enjoy!

Whisk together the first group of ingredients. Whisk together the second group of ingredients, then add to the dry group. Fold in melted butter, then the chocolate chips. Put the amount of batter recommended by your manufacturer's directions in the waffle iron and cook. Repeat until all the batter is used. Makes about 8 Belgian waffles. Serve with syrup and a light sprinkle of powdered sugar.

Thursday, October 10, 2013

I love marrow bones. I love frying thick slices of homemade bread in a stick of butter to eat it with. I love the mouth-feel of marrow. I love the fatty goodness, and how full and satisfied I feel after I eat them. I love how well they pair with pretty much any bright food you want to eat. I love how quickly they cook. I also love how inexpensive they are. I got about a pound and a half for $2, spent about $2.40 on vegetables (we also had roasted broccoli with this), and another $0.90 cents on the loaf of bread I made and the butter to fry it in (even better, if you have stale bread it's perfect for this!). So all in all, we got an awesome meal (plus enough for Ross to take to work for lunch) for slightly more than five bucks, which I love. If you haven't tried marrow, and you're not icked by this sort of thing, I highly recommend this affordable and delicious meal (my version or anyone else's - all of them, actually. I would love to try every marrow preparation known to mankind). Hope you enjoy!

Marrow bones:

Get your beef (or veal) marrow bones - about two per person, 2-5 inches tall. Preheat your oven to 450F, and put your bones in a baking dish, large side down if they're cut on two sides or cut side up if they're split down the middle. Sprinkle with salt (or not, as you see fit) and roast for 15-20 minutes. They should be bubbly with the marrow pulled from the sides but not melted and smell good when they're done. A bit of the fat will seep out from the bottom, and that's okay. You can mop it up with bread later or save it to cook something else in. Let cool a few minutes, then scoop out with a spoon and spread on thick slices of bread that you fried until brown in butter (or you could just use regular toast). This is good with the salad on top.

In a deep frying pan, combine beans and broth (enough to cover beans) over medium-high heat and simmer until beans are cooked, about 15 minutes. Drain the beans and set them aside. Add a big glug or two of olive oil to the pan, and then the celery and shallot with some salt and pepper. Fry until soft, then add in the beans, lemon juice, more salt and pepper if needed, and however much oil is needed and turn the heat down to medium. Fry for another 5 minutes, then add the remaining ingredients and cook another two minutes. Chill or not and serve with marrow and fried bread. Makes enough for four people.

About Me

The culinary adventures of a full-time, non-traditional grad student in Houston. My focus is on healthful, delicious meals that emphasize frugality in the kitchen, eliminating food waste, and a willing openness toward exploring the flavors of various cuisines.